The Tiny Palm's Journey
by Sonixawesome
Summary: Everything has been reset, and Tomoya's story is all but done. It is now time to tell a different story, a story that Key never even thought to tell...
1. Chapter 1

**~CLANNAD~**

The Tiny Palm's Journey

The girl walked, humming a small tune to herself, through the hallways of the Hikarizaka Private School. She had long brown hair that went almost all the way down her back, with warm brown eyes the color of cinnamon. While her skin was very pale- so much so that it seemed to glow in the light of the hallway- and she was extremely slight, she walked with an ease that betrayed her true strength. No one would ever mistake her for a frail person.

She'd chosen this high school for the express reason that it had been where her mommy and daddy had met. While she knew that finding someone with whom she could fall in love with as deeply as her parents had would be nearly impossible, it was still a hope she held in the back of her mind. The search for romance had to be put on the backburner for a second, as she had a separate problem that was in as much need of attention if not more.

All of her friends had managed to be separated into other class periods, and none of them had lunch at the same time as the pale girl anymore. Besides, her parents hadn't met officially until third year, and the girl herself was only just entering first year. For now, the youth's main goal was to make friends.

"Dan-hm, dan-hm, dan-hm, dan-hm, dan-hm, dai- hm hm hm." She hummed, opening the door to a room entitled '1E'.

* * *

The moment she entered the classroom, the girl noticed a male student with blue hair and green eyes looking at her. She turned her head, smiling at him. She gave him a brisk wave. His face lit up, and he grinned widely, enthusiastically waving back. The girl laughed a bit, and noticed a seat in the back row of the class that was empty. It was near a window that overlooked the hill path that was covered in sakura blossoms. Her daddy would have wanted her to sit more in the center, as it would be easier to talk to more people there, but she herself had always wanted to sit in the back corner. It seemed to be a place that would allow her to observe the other students more closely. She wanted to know what the class was like so that she knew which students to talk to.

She looked about the room, again seeing the boy who'd waved at her. He wasn't looking at her now, but was instead talking to another boy, who had orange hair and blue eyes. The blue-haired boy seemed somewhat familiar, but she just couldn't seem to remember a name. She shrugged, deciding to approach him later to talk about it. She kept looking across the room, this time with her eyes landing on a young girl in the opposite corner. She had short, curly silver hair, and was of a petite build, her feet barely touching the ground as she sat in the chair. Her skin was somewhat tanned, and her eyes were bright pink, like bubblegum. She stared directly towards the front of the class, not seeming to be aware of the other students.

The brown haired girl looked up at the clock. Class was about to start, and she decided to approach the girl during lunch period.

The bell rang, signaling the commencement of class. The teacher- a mischievous-looking woman with long red hair that was put up in a ponytail with crimson eyes like the girl had never seen before- began to read off the roll call. The girl waited patiently until she reached her name.

"Okazaki Ushio?" She called.

"Present!" The girl exclaimed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Small Hand's first day.

The teacher introduced herself as Homura-sensei. She seemed rather kind at first, but soon revealed a dark side when a group of male students started acting up- making loud profane noises- She forced them at ruler point to teach the lesson themselves, prodding them sharply in the back when they made a mistake. When lunch period came along, she forced them to stay inside the room to either eat there or be hungry.

Ushio turned to look at where the girl had been sitting, noticing that she was in fact there. She stood, approaching the girl. The little silver-haired girl didn't seem ready to go anywhere, as she had not budged from her position. She was just sitting there, eyes half closed with her face in between her folded arms, resting on the desk. For such a small girl, she looked very serious, seeming to be deep in some thought. Her eyes seemed slightly moist, but no tears fell.

Ushio took the seat next to her, causing the girl to look at her through her peripheral. Ushio waved slightly.

"Do you have lunch? Or do you buy from the cafeteria usually?" Ushio asked.

The slight youth shook her head, not really looking at Ushio.

"So you don't have anything to eat?" Ushio continued.

The girl shook her head again.

"Oh, here!" She said, digging into her bag. She handed the girl a small package. Inside was a piece of anpan. "Go ahead!"

The girl looked at it, lifting her head from between her arms slightly. She looked at the anpan, then at Ushio, then back at the bread.

"Are you…?" The girl asked. Her voice sounded uncertain and small, like she hadn't spoken in some time. Come to think of it, Ushio hadn't heard her say anything in the lesson, either.

"Yeah!" Ushio said, "It's alright, my grandparents run a bakery. I've got plenty of food to eat." She smiled.

The girl took the package, unraveling the plastic wrap from around it.

"Um… Thank you." She said, and took a bite.

Ushio laughed, "It's no big deal, I'd feel really bad if I were to just eat in front of you like that. Do you want something to drink? I've got some tea my mom made that I can split between the two of us."

The girl looked at her, uncertain, "Um… Why are you being so nice to me?"

Ushio tilted her head, "I just saw you sitting over here on your own. Hey, could you tell me your name by any chance? I'm Okazaki Ushio, but you can call me Ushio-chan."

The girl looked down at the bread that she'd only taken small bites out of, "Kitamura Yuki." She said.

Ushio smiled, "That's a beautiful name, Yuki." She said.

Yuki said nothing, continuing to stare down at her bread. Ushio smiled, grabbing Yuki's arm and lifting her from the chair, "C'mon, I know a much better place to eat lunch!" She shouted.

"Hey, I-" Yuki exclaimed.

Ushio started sprinting through the school, pulling the reluctant girl along.

"U-Ushio! I'm certain you have other friends you'd rather…" Yuki trailed off, realizing that Ushio hadn't registered her words.

Yuki gulped, "USHIO-CHAN!"

Ushio turned to look at her, "Yes, Yuki-chan?"

"AAAH!" Someone shouted, and Yuki felt herself crash into another person. The world went black, but Yuki still registered the sounds of the school. She realized she was still in control of herself, and lifted up her head. She found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes. She looked down, discovering that her chin was resting on the chest of another first year student. Ushio tilted her head, recognizing the one Yuki had crashed into as the boy that had been speaking to the one she'd waved at in class.

Yuki's face turned a deep red, and she screamed, instinctively thrusting her fist forward and upper cutting the boy, hitting him square in the jaw.

"Auph!" The boy grunted, and Yuki felt herself being lifted up as Ushio pulled her away. The boy was pulled up by the green-eyed one that Ushio had seen earlier.

"Are you alright, Haruki?" The boy asked.

Haruki laughed, "Yeah, I'm good. But wow, that was one heck of a hit! Are you in the boxing club or something?"

Yuki didn't reply, trying her hardest to avoid looking at him.

The boy with green eyes looked at Ushio, "Hey! You're Okazaki Ushio, right?"

Ushio nodded, "Yes, why?"

He smiled, "I used to be in the same class as you, back in kindergarten! Fujibayashi-sensei, remember?"

Ushio gasped, "Oh, I'd thought I'd seen you before! Now I remember!"

The boy nodded, "Yeah, it's me, your old friend Kats-"

"It's been such a long time, Kenta!" Ushio said.

"Huh?" The boy said.

Haruki smiled, "Oh boy, this is going to be fun!"

Yuki tilted her head, "What?"

Haruki laughed, "That's my friend, Makimori Katsuo. People like to say that he's easily forgotten. He keeps running into people from kindergarten, and they've always lost all memory of him. Every single time. He has the funniest reaction."

Yuki looked back up, "Really?"

Katsuo was still talking to Ushio.

"But Kenta moved away halfway through the year!" Katsuo shouted. Yuki noticed other students beginning to stare and whisper.

"I know; it made me so sad!" Ushio whimpered.

"Graah!" Katsuo shouted, turning to the wall. He started viciously slamming his head into it.

"_Why-don't-you-remember-why-don't-you-remember-why- don't-you-_REMEMBER!" Katsuo exclaimed.

Haruki laughed heartily. For some reason, Yuki's heart skipped a beat when she heard it.

"Oh, wait! Now I remember who you are!" Ushio shouted.

Katsuo turned; face lighting up, "You do?"

Ushio smiled, "I missed you, Kotaro!"

He turned to the wall again, slamming his head into it at a much faster rate this time.

"_Whywhywhywhy_WHY!" Katsuo shouted.

The bell suddenly rang. It was time to go back to class.

"Uuuuugh…" Ushio groaned.

Yuki tilted her head, "What's wrong, Ushio?"

Ushio said nothing in reply, instead swaying back and forth.

"Hunf… What's wrong, Ushio-_chan_." Yuki asked.

"I'm so hungry!" Ushio whimpered, and her belly rumbled.

Yuki sighed, "Maybe you should have eaten rather than rushing me across the school, then."

Ushio toppled over, not replying.

"Um… Help?" Yuki said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Small Hand's Big Family

Ushio smiled, having stuffed her face with food and tea just before class started. The teacher was giving a lesson, but her fast-paced style was just too much for the girl to follow. Ushio was smart, but she wasn't a computer. She looked over to Yuki, who was writing in a rush, trying to get all of the information down. She looked up at the teacher, who was chit-chattering away trying to cram as much information into their heads as could fit in the short amount of time left.

Ushio grabbed a small piece of paper, writing out a question that looked like this:

_ Yuki-chan_

_ Do you have any plans for after school? Circle one: Y/N_

_ Ushio _

She grabbed a rubber band, forming it into a makeshift sling, and then folding up the paper into a small rectangle. She looked at the teacher, who seemed to not be watching, then turned to Yuki, took aim, and fired.

It sailed right in front of Yuki's face, causing the girl to jump and make a loud exclamation of surprise. Homura-sensei turned to look at her.

"Kitamura. Is something the matter?" She asked.

Yuki shook her head eagerly, "I… I thought I saw… a fly!"

Ushio sighed. She felt bad for having put Yuki on the spot like that. Homura-sensei rolled her eyes, looking back to the board and resuming her educational tirade.

Yuki picked up the piece of paper, reading it. She looked at Ushio, then back at the paper. She checked what Homura-sensei was doing, then swiftly wrote her response. She looked around, uncertain what to do with the paper.

Ushio slapped herself on the forehead. Yuki didn't know how to pass notes!

She looked up to see if Homura-sensei was doing. She hadn't seemed to notice anything.

Ushio called Yuki's attention by waving her hands. Yuki looked at her, and shrugged. _What am I supposed to do?_

Ushio held up the rubber band. _Use one of these. _She mimicked the motion of pulling back and releasing the elastic strip.

Yuki knitted her eyebrows. _What?_

Ushio looked back at Homura-sensei, then at Yuki again. She put another piece of paper in the band with an explanation on what to do. This time, she pulled back just a bit too far, hitting Yuki hard on the nose.

"Unf!" Yuki exclaimed.

Homura-sensei once again looked at her, "What is it this time, Kitamura?"

"I thought I saw the f-fly again!" Yuki shouted.

Homura-sensei put her hand to her forehead, "I swear, Kitamura, if you weren't so cute I'd… Whatever. Try to control yourself, child."

Yuki opened up the paper, reading what Ushio had wrote out to her. She turned to Ushio, shaking her head. _I don't have one_.

Ushio slapped herself on the forehead again. Of course Yuki didn't have a rubber band! She looked back up at Homura-sensei, then turned to Yuki again, pulling back on the rubber band. She released it, sending it flying at the girl. It hit her right on the arm, making her yip like dog that's been spanked.

Homura-sensei turned to Yuki again. She looked at her arm, noticing the red mark. Then she saw the rubber band. And then the folded up papers. She narrowed her eyes, "_Miss _Kitamura, what is going on?"

Yuki gulped, "The fly landed on me, so I slapped it!"

_Wow._ Ushio said. _Yuki really knows how to lie._

Homura sensei sighed, deciding to disregard the obvious evidence and continuing her tirade. Yuki took up the rubber band, aiming it shakily. She let it loose, but her arm was thrown off by her anxiety. Rather than going towards Ushio, it launched far to her right, instead hitting…

"Auph!" Haruki exclaimed, the paper bouncing off the back of his head.

Yuki placed her hands to her mouth, as Homura-sensei turned to look at Haruki.

"Hamasaki?" She asked.

Haruki panicked for a second, then collected himself, "Ma'am… I think the fly that Kitamura-chan saw came over here!"

Homura-sensei sighed, "If we could please control ourselves, students. Should you see a fly, leave it be." She resumed the fast-paced lesson.

Haruki turned to Yuki, smiling and giving her a thumbs-up gesture. Yuki's face turned red, and she looked down at her desk. Ushio once again waved to get Yuki's attention.

Yuki frowned at her, no longer having the note to send to her. Ushio tilted her head, _Do you have plans?_

Yuki shook her head. Then frowned, glaring at Ushio the whole time, _Why didn't you do that in the first place?_

Ushio shrugged, smiling, _I don't know._

"Uuuuuggggggh." Yuki groaned, once again calling Homura-sensei's attention.

The flaming-haired teacher turned, "What _NOW_, Miss Kitamura?"

Yuki gulped again, "It's crawling on me!" She whispered.

Homura-sensei lifted her arms in resignation, "I'm just going to stop turning when you say something! If you are ever being seriously injured, you'll have to ask someone else to scream for you!"

Yuki glared at Ushio, who had managed to throw another note to her without her noticing.

_ Yuki-chan,_

_ Meet me at the courtyard._

_ Ushio._

Yuki crumpled up the paper, deciding not to make a noise. _Is this friendship thing more trouble than it's worth?_ She thought to herself. Then Ushio did something. She gave Yuki a wide smile as Yuki turned to look at her. Yuki felt herself do something she hadn't done in quite some time- she smiled back. It was involuntary, almost as if some alien had used invisible tractor beams to pull her mouth apart.

It felt good.

* * *

After class ended, Ushio stood waiting in the courtyard. She was eating some of the leftover food from lunch, as she hadn't managed to finish it all.

"Yuki… What's taking you so loooooong!" She exclaimed. Someone's voice called out to her.

"Shio-chan!" The voice was high-pitched, typical of a high school freshman. Ushio almost thought it was Yuki for a second, but then remembered that Yuki rarely called her that. She turned to the voice, and was blindsided by someone pulling her into a huge embrace.

"Hnnnnnnng!" The girl exclaimed. The grip went a little slack, and the girl- who Ushio now remembered with perfect clarity- gave a long sigh of delight.

"Fuko-chan!" Ushio shouted, trying with little success to pull out of the girl's grip.

The boy from earlier- who Ushio was still having difficulty remembering- walked towards them, preparing to separate Fuko from Ushio. Haruki was standing behind them, with a curious and somewhat amused face.

The moment his hand touched Fuko's, she stirred from her hallucinations, smacking it away. She looked at him with her big yellow eyes, face contorting with rage.

"What's with this reaction?" Katsuo exclaimed.

Fuko pushed Ushio behind herself, holding her arms out as though she was preparing to karate chop him, "Fuko remembers you!"

Katsuo smiled, "At least someone does!"

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Kitama-chan!" She shouted.

Katsuo jerked downwards as though gravity had intensified, "Kitama? Why do you think I'm _Kitama?_"

Fuko hit him on the top of the head, "Fuko still remembers what you did to her Ushio-chan! You have some nerve to show your face around Fuko!"

Katsuo growled. Kitama had been Ushio's crush in kindergarten, but he'd rejected her, preferring her best friend Sayaka.

Ushio whimpered, "I thought I'd seen you before! Kitama, why did you do that to me!"

"I'M NOT KITAMA!" Katsuo shouted, "I'm Kats-"

Fuko hit him again, "Kitama can't trick Fuko! Fuko remembers faces better than anyone!"

Katsuo raised his fist, "I'm NOT Kitama!" He shouted.

"Ohh, wait, you're not Kitama! I remember who you are!" Ushio said, smiling.

Katsuo smiled, "Finally! I thought you'd never-"

"I didn't think I'd run into you ever again, Kitsuo!" Ushio exclaimed.

If it had been a mistake, Katsuo would have been happy, but it wasn't. Kitsuo was his little brother, who'd come to the kindergarten all of one time.

"Could you excuse me for a second?" He asked. Without waiting for an answer, he rushed to the nearest wall, slamming his head into it like a woodpecker does when trying to get grubs.

"WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY?!" He exclaimed. Haruki started laughing aloud, rolling on the ground.

"Just because you've developed a new quirk doesn't mean that Fuko doesn't recognize you, Kitama!" Fuko shouted.

Katsuo began slamming his head faster, starting a new wave of jovial laughter from Haruki.

"Hm… In all this commotion, I feel like I've forgotten something." She thought for a second, "Oh no! Yuki still isn't here yet!" She shouted.

Ushio rushed off towards the school's hallways.

"Wait! What about Fuko? Fuko came to congratulate you for getting into high school!" Fuko shouted.

Ushio turned, running in place, "Thank you, Fuko! But I have to find Yuki!" She turned back to where she was going, sprinting off.

Katsuo rubbed his head, "I really need to stop doing that…" He groaned. He felt something strange as if someone were giving him a malicious stare. He turned, seeing Fuko.

"Fuko wonders what starfish technique she should use to punish you? Ushio isn't watching anymore, so Fuko doesn't have to hold back…" She snickered.

Katsuo gulped, causing Haruki to laugh out loud, "Hey! Fuko! Let Kitama have it, 'kay?"

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Katsuo shouted. Fuko began walking towards him, slowly and menacingly.

"Huhuhuhu…" The little girl laughed maliciously.

* * *

Yuki walked through the lonely halls, thinking to herself. She wondered if maybe this year would be different thanks to Ushio. She didn't want it to be like the past, she wanted to forget all that- the pain and the loneliness. The feeling that the people she used to care about no longer had the time to be concerned about her.

Yuki shook her head. No maybe. This year _would _be different, it just had to be. She'd finally made a friend, and a good one. She heard footsteps approaching from behind her at a sprint. She turned, seeing who it was.

"Ushio…" She whispered.

The girl panted, placing her hands on her knees as she came to a stop in front of Yuki. She didn't act as though she'd heard Yuki.

Yuki rolled her eyes, "Ushio-_chan_?"

Ushio looked up, smiling, "Hi…. Yuki-chan!"

Yuki smiled, "Whatever, Ushio-chan."

Ushio stretched her body, "Yuki, why didn't you come to the courtyard?"

Yuki slapped herself on the forehead, "I'm sorry! I totally forgot!"

_I was thinking too much about my parents…_ She thought to herself.

Ushio laughed, "That's alright, Yuki-chan. I wanted to ask you, would you like to come with me to my place?"

Yuki gasped slightly, "You'd really…"

Ushio nodded, "Yeah! My daddy said that if I make any new friends, he wants me to bring them over. I was thinking I'd invite Haruki and his friend too."

Yuki felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of Haruki coming, but decided against speaking out about it, "Alright, then." She said.

Ushio rushed Yuki, pulling her into a huge embrace that blindsided her. The last person to hold her like this… Well, they wouldn't be doing it again anytime soon. She smiled, hugging Ushio back.

They broke from the embrace, and Ushio smiled, "C'mon, let's go get Haruki and his friend. I believe they're both still back at the courtyard."

Yuki nodded, "Let's go."

* * *

"To be honest I think I was more scared than was necessary. I'd forgotten how ridiculous Fuko's 'Techniques' were." Katsuo said to Haruki.

"Why are you not searching for Starfish?!" Fuko shouted.

Katsuo turned, smiling at Fuko's angry face. He turned back to Haruki, winking. He looked back at Fuko, and made his best 'expressionless' face. He started to move around the courtyard, as though he were out of control of his own body. He was chanting 'Starfish' over and over again.

Fuko smiled, "Yay! Starfish Heat is finally working! That's what you get, Kitama!"

Haruki tried his hardest not to laugh. Katsuo was quite the actor. Since kindergarten, he'd continued to participate in school plays and the like. He'd made it a game of acting as other students to entertain the class, and his impeccable performances had probably been the root of all the other students not remembering him. Katsuo had never been Katsuo to them, always someone else depending on the day. Katsuo had spent so much time being others that he'd never managed to let others learn about himself.

Ushio entered the courtyard, Yuki at her side. Haruki turned to the two of them, smiling widely at Yuki. She turned scarlet, hiding herself behind Ushio.

_What is with this girl?_ Haruki thought to himself. No one had ever reacted to simply seeing him like that. He shrugged it off, waving at Ushio.

Ushio waved back, but her eyes seemed to flit between Haruki and the girl behind her. She looked about as confused as Haruki himself was to Yuki's reaction. She shrugged as well, walking towards Haruki. She noticed Katsuo.

"Um… What's he doing?" Ushio asked.

"Starfish… Starfish… Starfish…" Katsuo continued his act, walking hunched forward and limp, like he was possessed. His eerie chanting continued.

"He's acting as if Fuko's 'Starfish Technique' worked on him." Haruki answered.

"Starfish…"

Ushio blinked, "Really? No one's ever done that before."

"Staaaaaaaaaaar… Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish…"

Haruki nodded, "Yeah. He's a one in a million guy."

"STARFISH!"

"What's his name?" Ushio asked.

"Staaaaaaa…"

Haruki didn't reply.

"Rfissssssssh…"

"Haruki?" Ushio said.

"Fishhhhh…"

"I think he wants you to remember him on your own. I'm honestly surprised you haven't figured it out yet." Haruki said, "I'd have thought that you, of all people, would have remembered."

"Starfish…"

Ushio tilted her head, "Why?"

"Fishstar…"

"You talked to him more than any of the other students did. He even acted like himself around you, rather than always mimicking other people." Haruki's eyes narrowed, "He talked to you more than he talked to me."

"STAAAR!"

Ushio looked back up at Katsuo, "Why didn't I see him after kindergarten? Most of my friends stayed with me up until recently. Why wasn't he the same?"

"Fish…"

Haruki looked at her, "I think that if you keep talking to him, you'll find out yourself. You were waiting here for Yuki, right? She's here now, so what was it you were planning to do?"

"Staaaaarfiiiiiiiiisssshhh!"

Ushio smiled, "Well, I already told her what I was planning to tell her. Hey, do you and… him, have plans for today?"

"Oh, you're shaped like a star like those in the sky so far…"

Haruki shook his head, "We didn't have any homework, and my mom and dad are fine with me coming home late if I call them before nine. I don't think he cares whether his parents know where he is or not." He grimaced, as though he'd said too much.

"And you live in the sea; you're where I can plainly see…"

Ushio decided not to ask. Haruki's expression made her feel it was probably something that the boy had asked Haruki to keep secret, "Well, do you think that you guys could come with me over to my place? My daddy said that if I made any new friends, I should bring them over to have dinner."

"You won't give me a wish, but you're still a great starfish…"

Haruki nodded, "Sure. One second." He cupped his hands over his mouth, "Fuko! Ushio's back!"

Fuko turned, gasping, "Fuko is sorry, Ushio-chan! Fuko didn't want you to see her doing this!" She looked around frantically, then back at Katsuo, "Um… Starfish Heat, end!"

Katsuo snapped upright, "Huh? How did I get here?"

Fuko laughed, "You fell under Fuko's spell! That's what you get for what you did, Kitama!"

"I'm not KITAMA!" Katsuo shouted.

"LIES!" Fuko exclaimed.

"Hey, do you want to come over to my place for dinner?" Ushio asked.

Katsuo turned to Ushio, like a dog hearing its owner say 'Come here boy!', "Sure!" He exclaimed.

* * *

"Why did she have to come…" Katsuo sighed.

Fuko glared at him, "Fuko came to protect Ushio-chan from Kitama!"

"I thought I told you that I-"

"We're here!" Ushio exclaimed, opening the gate to the apartment complex. They climbed up the stairs and stopped in front of the far right door.

Ushio smiled, turning towards the door of the small apartment. She knocked, "Daddy! Mommy! It's me, I brought some friends!" The door was opened wide by a tall man with blue hair. He lifted Ushio up high, spinning her around in the air.

"Shio-chan! How was your first day of high school?" He exclaimed.

Ushio laughed, "Daddy, I've got friends here!"

Ushio's father smiled, gently putting his daughter down. He looked at all of the others. His eyes locked on Katsuo. He placed his fingers to his chin, "You're very familiar. What's your name?"

"I'm K-"

Fuko pushed past Katsuo, who'd been holding her behind himself covering her mouth.

"He's Kitama!" She shouted.

"I thought I told you that-"

"_Kitama…_" Ushio's father growled, "I thought I'd seen you before! You have some nerve showing your _filthy _face anywhere near my daughter, you brat!" He grabbed Katsuo by the collar, glaring at his face. He recoiled suddenly, putting him down.

"You're not Kitama!" He said, "I'd recognize that scoundrel anywhere, and you're not him."

Katsuo crumpled to the earth, "I feared for my life…"

Fuko looked down at Katsuo, eyes wide, "Now that Fuko thinks about it, you really aren't Kitama…"

"Yeah, realize that NOW why don't you?" Katsuo shouted.

A woman with medium length brown hair walked to the door, looking at all of the guests, "Hm… I'm going to need to make some extra food." She said.

Ushio's father stepped aside, "Alright, you all head inside then."

Just as Katsuo passed him, he held out his arm in front of the youth, nearly winding him, "You stay out here and talk to me."

Ushio's mother looked between the two of them, smiling, "Don't be out here for too long, alright Tomoya-kun?"

Tomoya smiled at her, "You've got it, Nagisa-chan."

Nagisa gave her husband a quick smile, turning back inside to start preparing food. Tomoya shut the door behind her, staring at the door with a smile for a few more seconds. He turned back to Katsuo, his face contorting into a bemused glare, "That's how I expect you to act with Ushio, understood?"

Katsuo recoiled, "What are you talking about?"

Tomoya did a double take, "You're going to ask her out, aren't you?"

"Why would you jump to that conclusion?" Katsuo shouted.

"C'mon, teenage boy asks a girl if he can come over to meet her parents? It's obvious where you're trying to go with this." Tomoya said, "If you ever hurt her, I swear I'll…"

"Wait right there! That isn't how I feel about Ushio at all!" Katsuo whispered, careful not to let the people inside hear him. He remembered how easily Ushio cried.

Tomoya glared, "What, do you think that Ushio's not good enough for you or something? What are you getting at, brat?"

_This isn't going to end well…_ Katsuo groaned internally.

"Thank you for the food!" The group said in unison, diving into their food. The table itself was small, but they managed to squeeze together all seven people. Tomoya had made a point of bringing Ushio to his side and keeping Katsuo far away from her. Katsuo tried to eat his dinner, but Tomoya was glaring at him evilly the entire time.

"May I be excused for a second? I think I need a little air." He said.

Tomoya shrugged, not even looking at him.

Katsuo walked outside, looking out over the railing at the city below him. He heard the door open behind him. He figured it was just Tomoya, so he didn't even give away that he'd heard it.

To his surprise, it was Nagisa who stepped to his side, looking out over the railing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She said.

"What is?" Katsuo asked.

Nagisa swept her hand left to right, "The city. It's a beautiful place. Full of memories, friendship, love… It's where I was born. Where Ushio was born. This is where I met Tomoya-kun. Everything I have came from this city. I owe it everything."

Katsuo shook his head, "It's just a stupid city. I personally don't want to stay here any longer than I need to."

Nagisa giggled a bit, "No wonder Tomoya thinks you like Ushio."

Katsuo turned to her, a boggled expression on his face, "What do you mean by that?"

"The girls in this family have a thing about ending up with people exactly like their fathers. Tomoya is just like my father, and you're just like Tomoya."

Katsuo looked back down at the city, "Not likely. I used to be in her kindergarten class. I thought she was my best friend next to Haruki, but she doesn't even remember me anymore."

Nagisa smiled, "You'll be surprised to find out how much Ushio remembers. She may not put a face to the name, but she never forgets the people that made her happy. Give her time, Katsuo." She patted him on the shoulder, returning into the house.

Katsuo looked down at the ground, but then snapped up when he realized something. _I never told her my name! _

He turned back towards the house, but Nagisa had already closed the door behind herself. Katsuo smiled, and headed back inside.

**So, I've completed chapter three! As you can see, I've introduced many of the main characters from Clannad as well as some of the newer ones. I think I'll try to put less emphasis on the past characters and focus on my new ones, who, as you can see, have some problems of their own. In terms of romance, I'll figure that out later. Rather than the style of a VN that Clannad came from, I'll go more for involving interactions with multiple people of each gender instead of multiple that are the opposite gender of the main character.**

**A shout out to MarioZoggt on Youtube, a person who helped me to start this by telling me that he/she liked the premise. I think that if I hadn't been certain that Clannad fans would enjoy what I'm doing here, I wouldn't have put all this on here. After all, it sprouted out of something I just started doing as I waited for the bus after my summer class, not so uber-special. So I'd like to thank him/her for that. I told him/her that if he/she could guess which character I would introduce (using the hint 'lolita') I'd mention him/her in the author's note, but he/she didn't manage to figure it out. (The answer, as you saw, was Fuko.) But I decided to mention him/her anyways as thanks for the support. So if you enjoy this story, thank MarioZoggt!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Snow Woman

There was an old Japanese folk tale that Yuki had once read in a book of old literature. In the story, there was a young woodcutter named Minokichi, who worked with an old man named Mosaku. One day, the two men were forced to take lodging in an old shelter, as a snowstorm kept them from returning home. They slept for a while, but when Mosaku woke up, he saw a woman clad in white. The woman breathed on him, freezing him to death. Minokichi awoke as well, and the woman stopped in her tracks as she saw him.

She told Minokichi that she'd planned on killing him as well, but had changed her mind upon realizing that he was young and beautiful. She instead beseeched him to never tell anyone about her or what she'd done that day. If he did, she told him, she'd kill him.

Many years after that event, Minokichi met a gorgeous woman named Oyuki. They were married and had many children together, living by each other's side for many years. No matter how long they were together, Oyuki did not seem to age a day. One night as the children lay sleeping, Minokichi recounted the story of what had come to pass all those years ago in the mountains, wondering if it had all been a dream, or if the woman had been a monster.

Oyuki stood up, telling him that she had been that very woman. She said that if not for the children that lay sleeping, she would have killed Minokichi. She told Minokichi to take care of their children, and disappeared. Oyuki was never seen again.

Yuki wondered why Oyuki had done that. Why hadn't she just left well enough alone and stayed with Minokichi? She'd loved and trusted him enough to bare his children, and he'd trusted her to tell her something he had feared would bring about the end of his life if he spoke of it. So what had driven Oyuki to do what she had?

Yuki didn't know. Part of her said that if she had been in Oyuki's place, she would have stayed. She wouldn't have revealed what she'd been, or at least if she had, she'd have still stayed at Minokichi's side.

Yet at the same time, part of her understood Oyuki. The person she'd trusted so much, loved in body and spirit, had betrayed her. Yuki could understand that…

"Yuki-chan!" Ushio shouted, breaking Yuki from her reverie.

It was lunch period again, and just like Yesterday, Ushio had approached Yuki from out of nowhere.

"What is it, Ushio?" She asked.

Ushio said nothing, instead pulling out her food and preparing to eat.

Yuki smiled inwardly, "What is it, Ushio-_chan?_"

"I was wondering if you had food for lunch today." Ushio asked.

Yuki looked away, "No, I don't. I usually eat when I get home."

Ushio groaned, "But Yuki-chan, that's a whole meal you're missing! How can you do that every day?"

Yuki shrugged, "I don't mind it. I've gotten used to it over the years."

Ushio smiled, "Well, you can get un-used to it again. Yuki-chan, from now on, I'm going to bring lunch for you!"

Yuki recoiled, "What?"

Ushio pulled out a piece of anpan and a bottle of water, as well as a brownie, "I'd figured you'd say something like that, so I brought extra for you!"

Yuki looked down at the food. Ushio was smarter than she'd let on.

_Well played, Ushio, well played._ Yuki took the food, eating quietly.

"So, Yuki-chan, were you born here?" Ushio asked.

Yuki shook her head, "No. I'm from up north."

Ushio smiled widely, "Really? I used to go to up north with my daddy. He bought me this toy robot."

A flash of memory crossed Yuki's mind, "Do you still have it?"

Ushio shook her head, "No. I lost it on the same day while I was playing in a field of dandelions."

Yuki gasped, "No… That's impossible!"

"What is?" Ushio asked.

Yuki shook her head, clearing the thought out of her mind, "Don't mind me. It's nothing."

Ushio looked at Yuki, eyes twinkling with thoughts. She turned away, deciding to abandon the topic.

"Do you want to come over to my place again tonight? I'm certain daddy would love to see you again. So long as Haruki's friend isn't coming, I don't think they hit it off so well." Ushio laughed.

Yuki smiled, though she was still only getting used to the motion. Ushio was an understanding person, "Yeah, I'd think that to be the best idea." She replied.

"You'd get to see what the Okazaki family is really like. We weren't quite the same with so many people." Ushio said.

Yuki nodded. _Anything other than going to that place is fine. _Ushio tilted her head, but decided not to ask about the expression that clouded her little friend's face.

"Daddy can be a bit weird sometimes, but the house is usually pretty lively, even with so few people."

Yuki regained her composure. She didn't like to let her thin mask slip off when people were watching, especially not if the person were Ushio.

"Sounds great, Ushio."

No response.

"Ushio-chan!"

Ushio nearly jumped out of the desk, collecting her friend into a huge embrace, "Thank you, Yuki-chan!"

* * *

After school, Yuki began to walk towards the Okazaki household. She stopped in her tracks as she reached an intersection, staring into a car window. The two occupants didn't notice her there, and were instead staring directly at the light. Yuki crossed, but seemed to create no reaction from the people inside, who were practically staring directly at her. Once she reached the other side and the lights changed, the car moved on. Not one reaction came out of the occupants. She moved on, trying her hardest to keep her eyes faced forwards.

When she finally reached the small apartment, Yuki stared at the door for a few seconds. She wondered if she should turn back. Just head right back to the school, where she'd be alone.

_But that would hurt Ushio_. She thought to herself. She went to touch the doorbell, but hesitated. _Who am I kidding? All the people I trust… All the people I ever trusted… I won't ever matter to anyone. I'm just… I'm just a…_

"I'm going to see if I can find Yuki-chan!" Someone shouted from inside the apartment. Yuki snapped tall as though she'd been struck by lightning. Ushio opened the door, recoiling as she saw Yuki there, finger hovering over the doorbell.

The brunette laughed, "I'd thought you'd gotten lost or something for a second there! Don't scare me like that again, okay?"

Yuki didn't say anything for a few seconds, her jaw gaping. Her eyes welled with tears, "Ushio… chan…"

Ushio tilted her head, "Yuki-chan? What's…"

Yuki lunged forwards, embracing her friend, "Ushio-chan… Ushio-chan!" She cried.

Ushio smiled, patting the petite girl on the head, "Hey… You called me Ushio-chan the first time…"

"So you're from up north?" Tomoya said.

Yuko nodded, smiling, "I used to live near this huge dandelion field. I'd play there almost every day. I'd find things that other kids lost. I'd give them back to the other kids when I got back to school."

Tomoya paused for a second, thinking about something. He shook his head, clearing the impossible thoughts from his mind, "That's nice."

Nagisa smiled, "You used to take Ushio up there, didn't you?"

Tomoya nodded, "I'm surprised the two of you never met. Then again, the side we played on was pretty far from most of the houses. It was at the edge of the woods, I'd doubt you'd ever gone that far. If you had, maybe you'd have found Ushio's old robot." He laughed to himself, "I remember that little thing. Ushio got so upset when she lost it. I'd gotten it to celebrate her entrance into kindergarten, so it was very important to her."

"Mhm." Ushio said, seeming to pick up how uncomfortable the conversation was becoming for Yuki.

They all were quiet for a little bit, the only sound being Nagisa working in the small kitchen to make dinner.

Tomoya clapped his hands together, "Hey, Ushio, why don't you show Yuki the Dango Daikazoku?"

Ushio nodded, standing up and bolting off into her room. She rushed back, holding several multi-colored ovoid pillows with black lines etched onto them to look like eyes. One was green, the other red, and the third yellow.

"Meet the Dango Daikazoku!" Ushio shouted.

Yuki vaguely recognized it as an old fad from long before she'd been born. She'd only ever read about it.

"I've never seen one of those before." Yuki said.

"They're a family tradition. We get another one every Christmas. It's been harder to find them every year, but we still manage. They always happen to turn up somewhere." Nagisa explained, looking back from the kitchen.

"Really? How many do you have?" Yuki asked.

"Nineteen!" Ushio replied.

Yuki recoiled, "Where do you keep them all?"

Ushio smiled, "Most of them are with Sanae-san and Akki, but we keep hold on these three."

"Why these ones?" Yuki asked.

Ushio pointed at the green one, "First one that daddy got for mommy."

Tomoya held up the red one, "This one came from the old man."

Nagisa smiled, "And the yellow one was from the first year after Ushio was born."

Yuki looked at the Dango Daikazoku. "Wasn't there… A song or something?"

Ushio nodded, closing her eyes, "Dango, dango, dango, dango, Dango Daikazoku…"

Yuki smiled inwardly. _So this is what it's like… To be a family… I'd forgotten…_

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango, dango, daikazoku _

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango, daikazoku _

_Yancha na Yaki dango _

_Yasashii an dango _

_Sukoshi yumemigachi na _

_Tsukimi dango _

_Osumashi goma dango _

_Yotsu ko kushi dango _

_Minna minna awasete _

_Hyakunin kazoku _

_Akachan dango wa itsumo _

_Shiawase no naka de _

_Toshiyori dango wa me o hosometeru _

_Nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki _

_Na marui wa ni naru yo _

_Machi o tsukuri dango boshi no ue _

_Minna de waraiau yo _

_Usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru _

_Dekkai otsuki-sama _

_Ureshii koto kanashii koto mo _

_Zenbu marumete _

_Nakayoshi dango te o tsunagi ooki _

_Na marui wa ni naru yo _

_Machi o tsukuri dango boshi no ue _

_Minna de waraiau yo _

_Usagi mo sora de te o futte miteru _

_Dekkai otsuki-sama _

_Ureshii koto kanashii koto mo _

_Zenbu marumete _

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango, dango daikazoku _

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango daikazoku _

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango, dango daikazoku _

_Dango, dango, dango, dango _

_Dango daikazoku._

**I wanted to use this chapter to establish two means. First, I wanted to give a little more insight into Yuki's character. I've only scratched the surface here because I want to reveal her whole story later on in the fic. Second, I gave something of what the Okazaki household is like. There's so much to the young family that I don't think I managed to cover it all, but I did my very best. I'll probably tell more about the family as the story moves along, revealing bit by bit like the way the Furukawas were developed in Clannad. **


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Tiny Palm's Lights

Yuki sat still in her dark room, legs hanging over the edge of an undecorated bed, with nothing more than a pure white blanket and black pillows. She held in her hands a small toy, a humanoid robot with a domed head and screws for ears. She stared the robot down, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. She brought it closer to her face.

"What are you trying to tell me?" She whispered. The robot gave no response.

Yuki sighed, lowering the robot and looking straight ahead. The sliding door to her closet had a mirror on it, and reflected Yuki's solemn face back at her.

Yuki couldn't face her reflection. Being with Okazaki family had allowed her a precious few hours of imagination, allowing her to believe she meant something to someone. But all teenagers know that imagination doesn't last forever. Upon returning to the dark, empty house, Yuki was painfully and immediately reminded the betrayal she'd experienced. This robot in her hands… It meant nothing to her. She'd return it to Ushio in the morning and be done with it, all of it. Yuki curled up in the bed, not bothering to throw the covers over herself. And that was the way she awoke.

* * *

Ushio tilted her head, looking at Yuki. The petite girl's eyes looked somehow more distant than they had the first day Ushio had met her. Ushio looked up at the clock. It seemed that there was still some time before lunch would start. She sighed, resting her chin on her palms.

Lunch finally came, but when Ushio turned her head, Yuki was already out of her seat and invisible behind the throng of students leaving the classroom. Ushio noticed something on Yuki's chair, and approached it. She walked towards it, picking it up. She recognized it instantly. There was a small piece of paper attached on the back.

_Okazaki_

_ Thank you for what you've done. You've made these past few days very enjoyable. I'm afraid, however, that we must stop interacting with each other. I fear that my presence will only hold you back. Please, Ushio, move forward without me. I'd like you to convey my words to Haruki and his friend as well._

_ Kitamura_

Of all the things that hurt about the letter, there was one thing that pained Ushio more than anything.

"But you'd just started to call me Ushio-chan…" Ushio whispered. She dropped her bags, sprinting through the hallways as fast as she could. She was headed towards the bathroom.

Someone grasped her arm as she dashed, pulling her back. She fell into a tight embrace.

"Ushio?" The person said.

Ushio looked up, meeting a pair of green eyes. A flash of memory lit up her mind. She'd once been held this same way, in a similar situation. The person's name had been…

"Katsuo…" Ushio whispered. Her sight blurred, and she dug her face into the boy's chest, "Katsuo-kun…" She began to sob.

"_I'm sorry, Ushio-chan. I think you should just move forward without me. You'll find someone else."_

_"But Kitama-kun, I-"_

_ "Stop, Ushio! Just… Will you just _go_?"_

_ The little girl dashed away. Away from the boy who'd led her on and then broken her heart, away from the girl who'd acted as her friend… She headed towards the bathroom._

_ Someone grasped her by the arm, pulling her into a tight embrace._

_ "Ushio?"_

Katsuo took a handkerchief, pressing it to Ushio's damp face, "What happened?" He asked.

"Yuki-chan, she… She said…" Ushio couldn't form the next few words, instead handing Katsuo the letter attached to the robot.

"This robot, it's the one that…" Katsuo whispered, "Didn't you say that…"

Ushio nodded, "She found it… But for some reason she…"

Katsuo stood, grasping the robot tightly. Ushio looked up at him, "What… What are you going to do?"

Katsuo looked down at her, face cloudy, "I think I know where she is."

* * *

"Why'd you do it?" Katsuo called out to the girl as she walked down the hill covered in sakura blossoms.

She turned, seeming to stare through Katsuo with her bleak eyes, "Why shouldn't I have? It's not like anything would've come out of all of this."

Katsuo looked down, uncertain how to reply. The girl nodded, turning around, "You're just like the rest. So do what they've all done and leave me alone. Abandon me like you're supposed to."

Katsuo growled, "Says the girl that just ditched the first real friend she'd ever had!" He shouted, "You say that the rest of the world abandons you? Well, Ushio isn't the rest of the world! If you'd trusted her, she would have stayed by your side forever!" Katsuo panted.

The girl turned, not a single emotion showing on her face, "How long did she stay by your side? She doesn't even remember your name."

Katsuo rushed at her instinctively, raising his fist. Someone pulled him back, keeping his hand from connecting. He turned, seeing Haruki standing there. Ushio was behind him.

Ushio slowly approached the girl, who stared directly forward. She looked at the girl for a few seconds, and didn't say anything. She turned, pulling something out of her bag. She handed it to the little girl, gently placing it in her hands.

It was a small robot.

"Keep it, Yuki. It meant something to me, a very long time ago. It told me that my father cared about me; it was something he'd chosen for me and me alone. But now I know very well, I need no reminder. You, however, do. Take this, and always remember that there are people that care about you out there." Ushio whispered.

Yuki looked at the toy, falling down to her knees, "But… Okazaki, I-"

Ushio showed no signs of having heard her.

Yuki smiled, "Thank you, Ushio-chan."

That night, Ushio brought her friends over to her apartment once again. This time, when Ushio opened the door, she was greeted by an aged man with faded red hair. He carried a large baseball bat on his shoulder and a cigarette in his maw.

"Akki!" Ushio exclaimed, jumping into the man's arms.

He laughed, "Shio-chan! It's been so long!"

Ushio broke from his embrace, moving to the side and holding her arm out, gesturing towards her friends, "Akki, these are my friends Yuki-chan, Katsuo-kun, and Haruki!"

'Akki' looked directly at Katsuo, "Katsuo-kun, huh?"

_Not this again!_ Katsuo gulped. The old man leveled his bat towards Katsuo, "The rest of you, go on inside. I want to talk to this one."

A woman with brown hair similar to Ushio's appeared at the door, smiling, "Don't be out here for too long!"

The man smiled widely, "Yes, Sanae. It will only be a few seconds." He said. Sanae smiled, closing the door after the others filed into the residence.

"That's how I want you to treat Ushio." He said.

_Here we go…_ Katsuo groaned inside.

* * *

Yuki looked out the window, lost in thought. Ushio approached her, smiling.

"Have you ever seen them?" Ushio asked.

Yuki tilted her head, "Seen what?"

"The lights." Ushio whispered.

Something told Yuki that Ushio wasn't referring to the kind that told you when to stop your car. She shook her head.

"Ever since I was young, I've seen them. I don't know what they are, but something tells me that if you were to collect enough of them, something amazing would happen. Something unlike anything else." Ushio said.

Yuki turned towards her friend, smiling, "How would you collect them?"

"I don't know."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Tiny Palm's Christmas

Part One

Time seemed to pass in a blur. It was as if Yuki was watching a slideshow, seeing image after image rather than living in that time. The settings repeated themselves, but no two images were the same. One image taking place in 1-A was peaceful, with Yuki scribbling down notes and other students sleeping, then another was frantic, with students rushing all around the room under one of Homura-sensei's punishments. One image at the Okazaki residence was filled with fun laughter, another with quiet companionship.

In no time, the winter holidays were upon them. It was the last day of school before they would be set free to enjoy the time with their families. Yuki herself didn't have any plans, all things considered…

She shook her head vigorously, driving away the thoughts. It didn't matter. Yuki had Ushio, and Katsuo, and… Haruki…

Yuki shook those thoughts away too. Ever since the event on the hill, she'd begun to react more strongly towards Haruki. Her instinct of hitting him had gone out of control, and she'd even sent the small boy to the infirmary on a couple of occasions.

"He probably hates me…" Yuki whispered to herself. What confused her more than anything was how much she disliked the thought of Haruki hating her. This whole business with Haruki was mind-boggling. Yuki diverted her mind away before it filled with images of the boy.

"Is something wrong?" Someone asked.

Yuki looked up slowly, meeting the bright blue eyes. Her face began to heat up intensely, and she thrust her fist forward, connecting with Haruki's upper torso. The boy was sent flying backwards, hitting the ground hard.

Katsuo picked up his friend, who laughed out loud. Yuki's face burned hotter, "I'm sorry!" She shouted, standing straight up and rushing out of the room.

She just kept running as fast as she could, finding herself in the courtyard. She grabbed her legs, panting. _What is your problem?_ She thought to herself.

She looked back, sighing. "It looks as though I won't be taking class today… Again…"

"Kitamura… Yuki-chan…" Someone growled. Yuki's skin crawled, and she slowly turned to meet the face of a furious Homura-sensei. Her eyes glowed with malicious intent, and her mouth curled upwards in a sneer of pure insane anger.

"Homura-sensei, please, I-" Yuki cried out.

Homura-sensei showed no signs of stopping, inching closer towards Yuki step by step.

"I don't care if the world is about to come to an end…" Homura-sensei whispered, her ferocious sneer growing wider, "YOU MAY NOT LEAVE MY CLASSROOM WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION!" She screamed, lunging at Yuki.

Yuki braced for impact, shutting her eyes tightly. When she was finally hit, it came not from in front of her, but to her side instead. She stumbled, barely keeping herself from falling to her face. She turned around, seeing Haruki standing there, smiling. He gave her a thumbs up.

Yuki's face began to burn up again, as Haruki was bowled over by a blur of red.

"HAMASAKI HARUKI-CHAN!" Homura-sensei screeched.

_I didn't know _anybody_ still did this…_ Yuki sighed, looking towards the window. Her seat and Haruki's had been moved to the front of the class, in full view of everyone. If that wasn't enough, Homura-sensei had fitted them with identical white dunce caps. To top even that, rather than "dunce" the tall white conical objects had been engraved with the word "eloper".

_Why would she even _have _these?_ Yuki thought to herself. Homura-sensei had either thought of everything or had the magical power to materialize tools of torture from vapor. Worse than that, Yuki was certain that she'd even heard the sounds of smartphones taking pictures while the teacher wasn't paying attention. She looked over at Haruki, who turned to meet her eyes. He smiled, waving slightly.

Yuki's face burned up again. _Why do I keep looking at him?_

Haruki tilted his head. It still baffled him as to why Yuki continued to react to him this way. Class ended, and he stood to walk out of the room. As he was about to leave, he felt someone holding him back. He looked up, seeing Katsuo. The blue-haired boy smiled, pulling the cap off. He placed it quietly down on Homura-sensei's desk.

"Makimori-chan, what do you think you're doing?"

"Taking off Haruki's cap and putting it on your desk. What does it look like I'm doing?" Katsuo replied casually, walking out of the room.

Homura-sensei opened her mouth to reply, but Katsuo was already far out of sight. She sighed, "Whatever. Kitamura-chan, put your cap down as well."

Yuki did as she was told, quietly walking out of the room. She continued walking, involuntarily lifting her hand up to her shoulder. When she realized what she was doing, she gasped at where her hand was. It was directly on the spot where Haruki had touched her. Her face burned scarlet.

_What am I doing?_ She thought to herself.

"What are you doing?" Someone said. The suddenness of it made Yuki jump a foot into the air.

She turned to where the voice had come from, meeting Ushio's cinnamon colored eyes. The girl smiled, "Why were you holding your shoulder?"

"I don't know." Yuki said, staring straight ahead.

Ushio looked at her friend, little bits of thought coming together. Something must have happened while Yuki and Haruki were gone… She shook her head.

She smiled at Yuki, "Hey, do you know what today was?"

Yuki looked off to the side, "The last day of school before the winter holiday." She said.

Ushio nodded eagerly, "So, do you have anything to do for Christmas?"

Yuki shook her head. She hadn't celebrated Christmas since she was a child. She diverted her thoughts.

Ushio tilted her head, deciding not to say anything. "Hey, want to celebrate with me?"

Yuki nodded without hesitation.

Ushio laughed, "We're going to be at my grandparents' house. My dad's invited a lot of his old friends, it'll be really fun!"

Yuki smiled, "I'm looking forward to it."

"I'll invite Katsuo-kun and Haruki, too!" Ushio said.

Christmas came quickly, and Yuki was walking towards Ushio's granparents' residence, three small presents in hand. Yuki looked down at the map Ushio had given her, trying to figure it out. She didn't realize what was happening, and a loud car horn went off to her side. She jumped back, barely keeping a hold on the presents and the car moved on. She looked inside, recognizing the occupants. Just like they always had, like they always did, they kept staring straight ahead.

She'd almost gotten run over by her own parents, and they'd just moved on as though nothing happened. She fell to her knees, tears blurring her vision.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she wiped her eyes to see who was there. She looked at the hand, then up at the person who owned it.

"What's wrong, Yuki?" Haruki's unmistakable voice said. Yuki's eyes met his, and her face turned red. Her hand went up instinctively, but was caught in Haruki's free hand. Haruki smiled.

Yuki's face turned a deeper red, and she stood up swiftly, her head making contact with Yuki's chin. The boy stumbled backwards.

The light changed, and Yuki sprinted across the street. When she got to the other side, she didn't stop.

A short time later, she looked down at the map. The line that started at the school ended here. It was a small building, with the word 'Furukawa Bakery'.

"Did Ushio make a mistake?" She asked. As she opened the door, she was met with the sound of a sobbing woman. Yuki recognized her as Sanae, Ushio's grandmother.

"You think…" The woman cried, "That no one will like my Christmas bread?" She rushed out of the building, her hands covering her eyes. Yuki moved out of the way as fast as possible. She looked back into the building, only to yelp and duck back behind the protection of the door as a man rushed towards her, pursuing the crying woman. Yuki remembered him as Ushio's grandfather, the one she called 'Akki'. His mouth was full of bread rolls dyed green, white, and red.

He shouted incoherently, something that sounded like "I WUF FUMM, FANAI!"

Yuki looked back into the house, prepared to duck back if another person started running. As it seemed that no one was going to. She walked into the bakery, looking around.

"Hello? Ushio?" She said.

Ushio climbed down the stairs, an embarrassed smile on her face. She rubbed the back of her head, "Sorry about Sanae-san and Akki. They like doing that."

Yuki looked back, "Are they going to come back?" She asked.

Ushio nodded, "They always do."

The door opened, ringing the sleigh bell decorations attached to it.

"Haruki!" Ushio exclaimed.

Yuki looked at her feet, not wanting to look at the boy. He tapped her shoulder.

She reluctantly turned, not meeting his eyes.

"You left these at the intersection." He said, handing her the three gifts.

Yuki nodded, "Thank you, Haruki."

Ushio looked between the two, sensing the rising tension. She grabbed Yuki's shoulders, "Come on, the party's upstairs!"

Yuki sighed with relief. It took her a second to realize that Ushio was not pulling her upstairs, but instead out the back door. Ushio closed the door behind herself, turning to her friend.

She tilted her head, "Um… Ushio-chan, what are you-"

"You're in love with Haruki!" Ushio asked.

"Wh-what?" Yuki asked, surprised at her friend's statement.

Ushio crossed her arms, "I've held this in for too long, but I just can't do it anymore! You're… You're in love with Haruki, aren't you!" Ushio shouted.

"I… Ushio-chan, what're you… I'm not…" Yuki stammered.

Ushio shook her head, "Stop right there, Yuki-chan! I already know you're lying! I've seen the way you act around him, you're head over heels!"

Yuki stared at her friend, mouth gaping. She couldn't form words, no matter how hard she tried.

"You don't need to say anything more!" Ushio exclaimed, "I, Okazaki Ushio, shall be your Angel of Love!" She smiled.

"Do _what?_" Yuki exclaimed.

Ushio smiled, lifting her finger in a 'matter of fact' way, "I'm going to get Haruki to ask you out on a date!"

"Why would you _do _that?" Yuki whispered. She didn't know why.

Ushio grinned with a strange not-yet-described version of malice, "It's either that or you ask him yourself. Those are the only two options you have, Yuki-chan!"

"Those are terrible options…" Yuki groaned.

Ushio's evil-with-good-intentions smile grew wider, "They're the only ones you have, my dear."

"My dear? What are you, some kind of witch?" Yuki asked.

Ushio shook her head, "I told you, I'm an Angel of Love!"

Yuki's eyes narrowed, "Alright, 'Angel of Love', what about you and Katsuo, then?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ushio smiled.

Yuki pressed her face to her palm, deciding against going further, "Have you ever even been asked out by a boy?"

Ushio shook her head, "Not once!"

"THEN HOW ARE YOU QUALIFIED TO DO THIS?!" Yuki shouted.

Ushio laughed, "Deal with it, you're stuck with me until I stick you with Haruki!"

Yuki groaned. _This is going to be terrible… _

"This is going to be fun!" Ushio shouted.

Katsuo looked down at the map Ushio had given him. He looked at the name of the small building.

"Furukawa… Bakery?" He asked. He looked back down at the paper, then up at the building again. He shrugged, "I hope you know what you're doing, Ushio." He said. When he opened the door, he saw Haruki standing inside. The boy seemed puzzled about something, and Katsuo heard incoherent shouting through the back door.

"Did Ushio say…?" Haruki said.

"Did Ushio say what?" Katsuo asked, making Haruki jump.

"Katsuo! Don't sneak up on me like that!" The boy shouted.

Katsuo tilted his head, "I didn't sneak up on Ushio."

"You know that's not what I'm saying!" Haruki exclaimed.

Katsuo shrugged, "Whatever you say, Haruki."

Just then, two people walked down from upstairs. It was a man with short black hair and bright blue eyes and a woman with long gray hair and similarly colored eyes.

"Who are you two?" The man asked. The woman looked at them, her eyes meeting Katsuo's. Katsuo prepared for the worst, but then the woman smiled widely.

"Katsuo-chan!" She shouted, "Do you remember me?"

Katsuo tilted his head. Sure enough, the woman was familiar. His memory came together, and Katsuo recognized her.

"Sakagami-san?" He exclaimed.

The woman laughed, "It's been a long time, hasn't it? You're so much older now!"

Haruki looked at the woman, "Who is she?" He asked Katsuo.

"This is Sakagami Tomoyo. She came and saw Ushio every so often. You never got to meet her, but she took me and Ushio around sometimes." Katsuo explained.

Haruki smiled, "Nice to meet you, Sakagami-san!"

"You can go ahead and just call me Tomoyo, if you want to." She said.

Katsuo nodded, "Will do, Tomoyo. And what about… that guy. I've never seen him before."

The man gasped, "Hey! I came and visited every so often too!"

"No you didn't" Tomoyo said, then turned back to Katsuo, "This is Sunohara. I don't care what you call him."

"Tomoyo-chan, why are you so-" Before he could finish what he was saying, he was kicked forcefully across the room by Tomoyo, just barely not knocking the bread off the counter.

"I told you not to call me Tomoyo-chan. You should be happy that I allow you to address me by my first name, and even that disgusts me sometimes."

"Why, Tomoyo-ch-" This time, he was silenced by the woman's glare.

"Anyways," She said, turning back to Katsuo, "Why are you all still down here? The party's going on upstairs! I hope you brought some presents!"

Katsuo nodded, "I only had enough for one, unfortunately."

Tomoyo smiled, "Can I guess who it's for?" She winked.

Ushio walked back into the room, with a bemused Yuki following behind her, "Guess who what's for?" She said.

Katsuo smiled, "It's nothing, Ushio." He said, gesturing up the stairs, "We've got a party to go to, don't we?"

Ushio nodded, "We do."

**Definitely one of my longer chapters xD **

**I've noticed a trend in shojo anime, the fact that they always give some separate time for the Christmas holidays. Thus, I decided to emulate that in my own story.**

**On the relationship between Tomoyo and Sunohara, I decided that I kind of wanted to do something special. I decided to have this story involve the beginnings of their relationship. We're going to be seeing quite a bit more of the blue-eyed duo throughout the rest of the story. I just want to add on as many other things as possible before finally revealing the truth about Yuki. I'm stalling that out for as long as I can xD**


End file.
